It Must Have Been Fate
by LlaraTheExplorer
Summary: College student Zelda gets to be the Maid of Honor for her best friend Malon's wedding! But when she suddenly can't find a ride up the wedding, the groom, Shad, asks the Best Man to come to her aid. Forced to socialize with the ridiculously attractive Link, Zelda realizes this wedding might bring more than she expected. Modern AU, obviously. One-Shot. ZeLink. Give it a try!


**New one-shot! Woohoo!**

**I've also written three other one-shots and one longfic about Zelda (Zelink, specifically) so you guys can check those out too.**

**I don't own Legend of Zelda.**

* * *

"I can't believe you're getting married tomorrow!" Zelda said excitedly, hugging her best friend Malon. The two of them attended college together, and Malon was engaged to a fellow student named Shad. It was a warm, beautiful summer and the two girls stood on the lush green lawns of the college campus.

"I know!" Malon squealed, taking Zelda's hand and giving it a squeeze. "I'm so glad you can come and be my maid of honor. You're my best friend."

Zelda smiled and hugged her again. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Malon returned the smile, then glanced down at her phone. "Oh, my class starts in 15 minutes. I should get going so I'm not late. Don't forget to meet back here at 5:30 for the carpool to the Lodge!"

Zelda froze. "5:30? I thought you said 6:30." Zelda stared at her in horror.

Malon shook her head. "Dinner at the Lodge is at 6:30, and the carpool is at 5:30." Malon's eyes widened in an equal amount of horror. "Please don't tell me you have class at 5:30. Oh, Zelda, please."

Zelda swallowed nervously. "I'm in class until 6, and I don't have a car to get up there by myself." She said quietly.

Malon groaned loudly and put her face in her hands. "That's it. The wedding is ruined." She said, her voice muffled.

Suddenly a voice interrupted them. "Hey, Mal! Hi, Zelda." Shad's voice spoke. He walked over and put his arm around Malon's shoulders and kissed her on the cheek. She looked at him desperately, and he looked at her in concern. "What's wrong?"

Malon threw her hands in the air in frustration. "Zelda can't come to the carpool because she's in class until 6 and she doesn't have a car. The wedding is near the Lodge, an hour's drive! How will she get there?! She can't miss the wedding!" Her voice was panicky.

Shad took her face in his hands in order to calm her down. "Mal, sweetheart, take a deep breath. Don't worry, I have a solution."

"You do?!" Malon and Zelda said in unison, and Shad laughed.

"Yeah. My best man, Link Bennett, is in class until 6 as well. He has a car and is driving himself up after class. I'll call him and ask him if he'd be willing to drive up our damsel in distress, the maid of honor." Shad said, grinning.

Malon squealed and hugged him. "Thank you, thank you! I love you! I knew there was a reason I was marrying you."

Shad and Zelda laughed. "I love you too. Now get to class." Shad said, smiling at her.

"Oh, right!" Malon exclaimed. She kissed Shad quickly, hugged Zelda, and ran off towards the building where her class was.

Shad then turned to look at Zelda. "I'll give Link your phone number so he can communicate with you about where to come get you and stuff."

Zelda smiled. "Thank you so much, Shad. I owe you one."

"It's no problem at all." Shad then gave her one last friendly smile, then turned to walk off in the direction of his own class that was starting soon.

Zelda was content for a minute, until she realized something. She would be stuck in the car for an hour with a total stranger.

Great.

* * *

5:30 rolled around, and the bride, groom, bridesmaids, and groomsmen all set off, spread across three small cars, towards the Lodge that had been rented for the wedding.

Well, all except Link and Zelda.

At 6, Zelda quickly left her class once it finished and ran back to her dorm to grab the bags that she had packed for the weekend at the Lodge. Then she heard her phone buzz, indicating that she had a text.

_Hey Zelda, it's Link. If you're ready to go, can you tell me what dorm you live in so I can come get you? Thanks! See you soon. _-Link

_I'm ready. I live in the Chapman Hall, with Malon. _-Zelda

_Great. I'll be there in a few! -_Link

_Thank you! _–Zelda

She grabbed her bags and brought them outside, locking the dorm door behind her. She then began the descent down the stairs to the bottom of the dorm building towards the parking lot.

The group had plans to spend Friday night, the day before the wedding, in the Lodge. There would be a large pre-wedding fiesta on the first floor, which had lots of open space and was decorated beautifully. The Lodge was designed to be used for events, so it had a dance floor as well. That was also where the reception would be held after the wedding on Saturday. The girls would be sleeping in the rooms on the second floor, and the boys on the third floor. It was a large lodge with many rooms on the second and third floors.

Zelda stepped outside into the parking lot, and watched a little gray car roll up that was being driven by a handsome guy with blue eyes and blonde hair.

He saw her, and he parked in a spot near where she was standing. He then got out of the car and walked over to her.

"Hey, I'm Link. You must be Zelda."

She smiled. "That's me."

Link grinned at her. "Well, I would shake your hand, but your hands are full. So let me help you with those bags instead."

She laughed, and they moved toward the now open trunk and loaded the bags inside. Zelda moved toward the passenger door, but was shocked to see Link dart in front of her and open the door, gesturing her inside with that crooked grin of his.

"Wow, thank you." Zelda said, shocked that he would go so far as to open the car door for her.

"My pleasure." He then climbed inside his own door on the driver's side, and soon the two were on the road for the Lodge.

There was a brief silence before Link spoke. "So, you're Malon's maid of honor?"

"Yeah, and her best friend. You're Shad's best man?"

"Yep. And his best friend." He said, turning to grin at her. She stuck her tongue out at him. "How did you meet Malon?"

"Malon and I went to the same middle school and high school, but we didn't talk to each other. That is, until the summer before our sophomore year where I spent the summer at her ranch doing their summer program and learning to ride horses. We hit it off and spent the whole summer riding and having fun together."

"Really? I spent a summer on her ranch too!" Link said. "I went before my junior year though."

"Well, I went again the summers before my junior and senior year as well. But I guess we never ran into each other."

"You did? So it was you!" Link exclaimed.

Zelda was shocked. "Have we met before?"

He shook his head. "No. But I used to watch you and Malon jump the fences in the corral because I wished I was as good at jumping as you two were. I thought you looked familiar when I saw you just now."

"Wow." Zelda said, still surprised. "That's cool. So how did you meet Shad?"

Link chuckled. "My first year of college, I was stupid enough to sign up for this super intense history class that kicked my butt. I was in the library one day, trying to study to no avail, when Shad, the big history geek, saw me looking terrified and confused and came over to help me. We've been friends ever since."

"That's nice of him."

"Yeah, he's a great guy." Link grinned. "So he and I have a lot in common." Zelda laughed at this. "So do you have any siblings?"

"No, I'm an only child. You?" Zelda replied.

"Just one. A little sister named Aryll. She's a gem, I adore her."

The two of them continued to talk for the rest of the long drive, until they finally arrived at the Lodge a little after 7 pm.

* * *

Link steered the car up the narrow driveway surrounded by trees. The driveway eemed to go on endlessly. When he finally reached the end, he was amazed by the looks of it.

His car had stopped right at the end of the driveway, where the parking lot began and the large clearing began. Before him he saw a little parking lot, and just beyond that, a huge, 3 story wooden Lodge. It had lots of windows, and it just looked super nice. It was surrounded by fields of grass until the clearing ended, and all he could see was trees again.

"Wow." Zelda said breathlessly.

He laughed. "Wow is right."

He steered the car into one of the parking spaces and they stepped out of the car. They grabbed the bags and headed toward the large front door of the gorgeous building. But before they had a chance to grab the handle, it was yanked open from the inside, and there stood Malon.

"You guys made it! Finally!" She said excitedly, and ushered them inside. "Just drop the bags right here by the door and come get some food. We already started, so we're almost done, but there's still food left."

"Great. I'm starving." Zelda said, and Link and Malon laughed. Malon then ran back over to go sit by Shad, and Link and Zelda moved to the food lines. They got their plates of food and then split off, Zelda moving over to sit with the other bridesmaids, and Link sat by Shad.

After they all finished eating, it was time for the party to start.

They all stood up and headed over to the dance floor, where Malon had already turned the lights off, and the strobe lights had come on. Malon grabbed Zelda's hand and dragged her onto the floor, where they started dancing. Everyone else quickly followed suit.

Several fast songs went by, and Zelda had fun laughing with her friends. She had deliberately bumped Malon with her hips and knocked her off balance, and Malon had retaliated coming up behind her and scaring her by suddenly grabbing her shoulders. She and another bridesmaid, Saria, had lip-synced the words of the songs to each other, and another bridesmaid, Midna, had made Zelda do a little bit of tango with her.

Then the slow song came up, and Shad whisked Malon away. The other bridesmaids were asked to dance by some of the groomsmen, and Zelda just stood there, until she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She turned around to see Link sheepishly grinning at her. "Wanna dance?"

"Sure."

"So where are you from?" Link asked.

The two continued to talk, unaware that they were being watched by Malon and Shad.

"I doubt you did it on purpose, but you totally played matchmaker. Look at them. They are so totally going to date." Malon said to him as they slowly danced.

Shad grinned. "Well, I've been wanting to set them up for a while now, actually. The right opportunity just didn't show up, until today. So I didn't exactly do it on purpose, but the opportunity presented itself and I willingly seized it."

"Sneaky." Malon said, smirking at him. "But hey, if he hurts her, I'm gunna have to have some words with him."

Shad gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Don't worry, Mal. Link is a really nice guy. Zelda is a really good person and I wouldn't have wanted to set her up with someone who didn't deserve her. Thankfully, Link does."

Back on the other side of the dance floor, Link had an idea.

"Okay, get ready. I'm going to spin you."

"What?!" Zelda exclaimed.

Link let go of her waist and, with the other hand that was still holding hers, lifted up both their arms. Zelda, not really the expert on dancing, just twisted around, not even sure if she went the right way. Their hands ended up all in the wrong position and they had to readjust. Zelda couldn't help it, and laughed.

"I'm sorry. I don't really know what I'm doing."

Link chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I didn't really give you that much of a warning. I don't know how to do it that well either." He took her waist with his hand again, and they resumed dancing normally, both of them smiling.

The dance ended too soon, though, and the fast songs played on. They all continued to dance, probably looking dumb in the process, but it was one of the best nights they have had.

A few hours later they all retired upstairs for bed, since they had to wake up early for the wedding. Zelda collapsed into her bed, exhausted from the events of the day.

* * *

"Wake up, wake up! The wedding is in a few hours and we need to start getting ready!" Zelda groaned, and realized that Malon was shaking her body roughly and shouting into her ear. "Get up!"

"Alright, I'm up!" Zelda said, sitting up.

"Pay attention, Zelda! Go get into your dress and shoes and do your hair and makeup quickly, because we all need to be ready at 10:30! It's 7:30 now, so get yourself ready and then you need to come help me with my hair and dress!"

"Why does it have to be me?"

Malon sighed. "Because you're my best friend and you're the best at doing hair. Hurry up, now." And with that, Malon left the room, probably to go start doing her makeup.

Zelda did as she was told and got ready. She put on the bright yellow bridesmaid dress, chosen by Malon because yellow was one of her wedding colors. Then she slipped on the cowboy boots – another choice by Malon. All of the bridesmaids would be wearing strapless dresses that fell just above the knees, and cowboy boots that rose to a few inches below the knee.

Once Zelda had on the outfit, she washed her face and then applied her makeup. Once done, she curled the ends of her long, blonde hair. She then looked in the mirror and was satisfied with how she looked, so she set off to help Malon.

"Wow, you look amazing, Zelda!" Malon said excitedly. "Link will be speechless." She winked at Zelda.

"What? Link? I don't, uh…" Zelda said, flustered. Malon laughed.

"I'm just teasing you. But I totally saw you guys dancing last night. Anyway, come here and help me." Malon had stepped into her wedding dress and was now turned around so that Zelda could do up the back. Zelda quickly but gently zipped it up and did the soft buttons over the zipper.

Malon turned around, and Zelda was amazed at how she looked. It was also strapless, but it was pure white. It was mostly simple; the only real embellishment was an embroidered flowery pattern that went horizontally across the front of her lower stomach and then turned so it was heading down the side of her dress near the front. The fabric all around the design was just plain except for the extra fabric on it that gave it a folded look. It was gorgeous.

Malon, always the cowgirl, was wearing plain white cowboy boots with the dress.

"You look seriously amazing, Malon. Shad will probably faint."

She laughed. "I wouldn't be surprised."

Malon then sat down, and Zelda started on her long red hair. She took the top half of her hair and pinned it up. She then curled all of the bottom underneath sections into tight ringlets. She took the top half that she had temporarily pinned, and she set it into a permanent up-do using a bunch of bobby pins, which she disguised with a bright yellow flower. So her hair was straight on the top but once you reached the flower, her hair fell into gorgeous red ringlets. It looked amazing.

"Wow, Zelda. You're really talented."

Zelda blushed, embarrassed. "Thanks, Mal."

It was now 10:30, so it was time to leave. The wedding was at 11, at a ranch that was about a half hour away. The boys had already left, because they needed to get there first so that Shad would be waiting at the altar.

Malon and Zelda ran out of the room and rounded up the other bridesmaids, who were ready to go. They loaded up into two of the cars and set off towards the wedding destination.

Malon, being the nature lover she is, opted for an outdoor wedding instead of a church one. They had set up chairs, an arch, and an aisle in the middle of a giant field of flowers at the edge of someone's ranch. Malon knew the owner of the ranch, and they had of course agreed to let her.

The excited girls could barely contain themselves, and they jumped out of the car in anticipation upon arriving. They grabbed their bouquets, which consisted of yellow and blue flowers, since those were the wedding colors, and parked in the middle of the ranch. Zelda and Saria held up Malon's dress as the three hurried to the field.

Upon arriving, the chairs were already filled with guests. At the head of the arch stood the priest and Shad, the groom-to-be. Next to him stood the line of groomsmen who were wearing yellow vests with blue ties on top of their suits. Link stood directly next to Shad, and he smiled at Zelda, making her blush as she smiled back.

Zelda and the other bridesmaids hurried to stand on the other side of the arch, across from the groomsmen. Malon walked up to the end of the aisle, where her father Talon was waiting. Her father kissed her on the cheek and began to walk her up the aisle. It was completely silent except for the miniature orchestra that was playing the wedding march off to the side in the background.

They reached the front, and Talon sat down. Malon took Shad's hands, and the wedding commenced. The priest's speech was given, and the vows were said.

"Do you, Malon Lonlon, take Shad Larson to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do."

"Do you, Shad Larson, take Malon Lonlon to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

"You may kiss the bride." Shad leaned forward and caught Malon's lips, kissing her. It lasted a few seconds before they broke apart and the crowd erupted into cheers. Zelda had to stop herself from crying, but she could barely believe it. Her best friend was married!

"Reception back at the Lodge!"

The guests, consisting of lots of Malon and Shad's family and friends, all happily made their way back to the main area of the ranch, and soon were on their way to the grand reception.

* * *

There was more dancing, but there was also the traditional wedding events that occurred. Gifts were piled high on a table, and the food was on the table right next to it. The cake stood on a tall round table near the food table, which didn't look quite so whole anymore. Malon and Shad had smashed it into each other's faces a little when they did the cake tradition. There was a lot of picture taking as well.

"Time to throw the bouquet!" Malon shouted. The girls cheered and gathered into a crowd behind Malon. Zelda didn't move, until Malon beckoned her to go join them.

Then, the bouquet was in the air. It was about to land behind Zelda, but she reached up and grabbed it quickly. The girls behind her sighed in disappointment.

Malon turned around and was shocked to see that Zelda had caught it. The girls dispersed and Malon ran up to her. "So now you'll marry Link, right?"

Zelda just rolled her eyes, and then noticed that the photographer was in front of them. The two girls smiled, Zelda wrapping one arm around Malon's waist and holding the bouquet with the other hand. The camera clicked, and Malon hugged Zelda excitedly. "Oh, this is so fun!"

"I know! I'm so happy for you, Mrs. Larson." Zelda said, grinning at her.

Then it was time for the bride and groom slow dance. Zelda had to hold back the tears as she watched her best friend dance with her new husband to a slow song they had picked out that represented their love.

Soon, their song was over, and it was time for everyone to dance. Zelda heard another slow song come on, and then noticed that Link was making his way toward her. She worked hard to keep a normal composure as the handsome best man approached her.

"Do you wanna dance again?"

She grinned. "Only if you promise not to spin me again."

Link laughed and took her hand, leading her out to the dance floor, and they began to sway with the music.

They talked and joked for a little bit, before Link grew serious.

"Are you okay?" Zelda asked.

He nodded quickly. "I'm alright, I just… I've noticed that, uh, I can't seem to get you out of my head and I'm not sure what to do about it." He spoke quickly, and stared into her eyes.

Zelda was taken aback by his boldness, but she smiled, because she was having the same problem. "Well, then that's something we have in common." She replied, feeling brave.

He said nothing for a moment, just looking into her eyes.

"Can I kiss you?" He blurted out suddenly. Zelda laughed, and let go of his hand, moving her arms around his neck instead. Link understood that as being a yes and wrapped his arms around her waist in return. He then closed the space between them completely, and Zelda noticed that the wedding around her completely disappeared as she got lost in his lips.

"Oh my gosh! Shad! Look!" Malon said quietly but hurriedly, releasing his shoulder to point at the couple that was kissing a little ways away. "I told you so!"

Shad laughed. "Mal, don't watch them. Come on, dance with me." Shad lifted her arm and spun her slowly, and Malon glanced at Link and Zelda once more before looking back at Shad and enjoying her dance with her new husband.

Zelda could feel Link grinning against her lips, and they finally pulled apart for air. Their arms stayed in the same positions, and they continued to sway to the music, but closer together this time. Their foreheads stayed pressed together, and they were silent, just enjoying one another's company.

"Wow, what a wedding," Zelda whispered. She heard him laugh softly.

"I probably should have asked this before I kissed you, but I just wanted to kiss you so bad." He said, grinning. "Do you wanna go out on a date with me sometime?"

Zelda laughed and kissed him again, shorter this time. "Absolutely, yes."

Link exhaled in relief. "Great. Awesome. I'll, uh, text you sometime."

"I'll be waiting."

The slow song ended after that, but the two of them didn't even notice, because they were so caught up in each other. He lifted her up and spun her around while she laughed gleefully, and then kissed her again. The people around them were watching with amused looks, but they didn't even care. They were too busy realizing what they'd been missing out on their entire lives.

* * *

**I wrote this up super quickly and it kinda came out of nowhere, so yeah. I hope you liked it!**

**I was basing Malon's hair and dress off pictures I saw, but I probably didn't describe them that well. That's okay. You get the idea.**

**Thanks for reading! Review if you please, it helps improve future writing!**


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